Getting A Bit Silly

The sight of four helicopters in formation and presumably containing the four judges of The X Factor and flying to the various corners of the British Isles to hold auditions, plus, having then landed, the judges arriving in separate gas guzzling limousines at the audition centres was just too silly and over the top for words - except these of course!

Turning Turtle

Yes, another bit of television but was totally captivated by the tale of a Loggerhead Turtle who migrated from Mexico to Japan over the course of a year (over 9,000 miles at 1 mile an hour) The turtle managed to get ashore and bury its eggs, only to then get caught up in a fishing boat’s net in a tragic accident from which it subsequently died.

The programme also covered the rather worrying problem that rotting carcases on the ocean floor and active underwater volcanoes were giving off a highly toxic methane gas. As the oceans warmed from global warming, the methane was able to rise to the ocean surface and then into the atmosphere. The last time this happened in great quantities, it destroyed half of life on earth. Yes, I would say that was just a wee worry!

 

The documentary was followed by a short progamme on The Coral Gardener, who was spending the autumn of his life “growing” coral to replace some of the coral that was being destroyed by warming seas. A very worthy contribution don’t you think.

To dream the impossible dream

Dear Prime Minister,

Whilst tut tutting over my latest energy bill (not your fault of course), it suddenly came to me that here was the perfect opportunity for you to regain the initiative over those that think you are lacking in the leadership department.

Why not offer people great reduced price deals if they switch to green tariffs, install renewable energy systems such as solar power, geo-thermal heat pumps, grey water harvesting tanks and (small) wind turbines. No vat on green energy bills which have reduced tariffs over normal energy costs and no car tax on green cars (not just G-Wiz). Reduce the cost of travelling by train, encouraging drivers to leave their cars at home or at the station, and ensure everyone gets a seat on the train. Just a thought.

 

From one green leader to another - signed The Mekon (I starred in Dan Dare’s adventures way before anyone had thought of Dr Who!!)

Expending Energy Unnecessarily

Enjoying a relaxing sit down in the hairdresser’s chair yesterday, I was regaled with a tale of wasted energy miles. As part of the work to be carried out on an extension, a gas pipe needed to be moved. British Gas were contacted and the customer was told to contact a sub-contractor who would review the work required and offer a quote.. Contact was made, only for the sub-contractor to call back a week later to say they did not deal with people from that post code!

 

Forget at this point, the fact that British Gas should have sorted that out at the beginning but now ponder the situation that the new sub-contractor is based in Wales and will need to make a three hour journey to the work site, spend two hours fixing the pipe and then another three hour journey back to base. A whole day to be paid for, but only two hours work involved. And they say energy prices are too high!

Fluffing Cows!

In the second programme of “Jimmy Doherty’s Farming Heroes” on BBC2, we were entertained by the prospect of non-farting or farting less cows which may come about as a result of a change in their diet.

We are constantly being informed that cows and other livestock produce copious amounts of methane gas which in turn have a dramatic effect on global warming once it  hits the ether. Tests are being carried out with cows in Wales who are being fed a garlic based diet. Early results suggest a 15% reduction in methane gas being released by the bovine fraternity as a consequence of this type of diet. If that result was replicated throughout the world, it could contribute significantly in the global reduction of greenhouse gases we are told. Now there’s something to ponder. Garlic flavoured milk anyone?

Most Enjoyable

Watching “Jimmy Doherty’s Farming Heroes” the other evening made for fascinating viewing. There we were in deepest East Anglia watching the sugar beet crop being processed with seemingly everything being used or recycled. Seeing the throbbing, belching processing plant that carried out this process made one cringe at the thought of all this heat and toxicity disappearing into the ether.

 

But wait. What was this huge glasshouse (apparently the largest in Europe) quietly growing oodles of tomatoes and living right next door to this noxious giant. Amazingly, and via a few miles of pipes, the carbon dioxide produced at the sugar beet plant and the excess heat are pumped across to the tomato growing “nursery” and provides a number of essential ingredients for cultivating tomatoes. It was one of the most incredible uses of cross fertilisation I have seen in a long time whereby one seemingly polluting mechanism was cancelled out by a friendly neighbour only too keen to say “I’ll have some of that.”

Thank you for listening

Yesterday found me at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, speaking to Bespoke Hotels, a lovely collection of upmarket properties who intend to take their social responsibilities very seriously both for the benefit of their guests and their local communities.

 

Although I think I covered most aspects of CSR (corporate social responsibility), I omitted to tell them the story of Hamish the oyster (see elsewhere on this blog), and perhaps I should have emphasised more that this isn’t just about “going green”, that it (CSR)embraces so many other aspects of our lives. During the course of my presentation, the room was filled with the smell of burning. Fortunately, it turned out to be the chef smoking the salmon which I thought was a nice touch and just when I was talking about seasonal, local, free range, organic and ethically produced food too!

 

Thank you Bespoke Hotels - Thank you for listening.

It’s as easy as changing a light bulb

I often think that whilst there are many people who want to “do their bit” towards conserving vital resources such as energy and water, they are often at a loss of where to start. Well, changing your light bulbs to low energy types is a beginning.

 

The National Trust recently announced it was carrying out this exercise in NT properties and expected to save almost £500,000 for an investment in the region of £150,000. A Considerate Hoteliers Association member hotel in London saved £2,000 per month on an initial investment of £15,000 by doing the same thing. So, it’s a no brainer then, and particularly in these days of rampant energy costs, it surely makes an awful lot of sense. Just a thought.

Comments from Abroad

Having just returned from a visit to the USA, I have to report that our American cousins are becoming really focussed on environmental matters. Admittedly the high cost of oil (their gas/petrol is up to $4 a (American) gallon!) is a major factor here but many drive 4 x 4’s with a high fuel consumption (15 to 20 miles per gallon) so their costs are often as high as our own. They drive further in order to get anywhere and most vehicles have their air-con going at full blast.

However, the tide is turning, gas/petrol consumption is going down as Americans find excuses not to travel, city/town and community councils are instigating recycling programmes and a number of industrial sites that previously belched smoke and CO2 into the atmosphere have closed down partly due to the credit crunch and poor economy. Perhaps more importantly and with a presidential election looming, voters are asking their representatives to push for more action on the environment. We shall see. 

Infinite wisdom or just plain grumpy?

Given my hotel background, I tend to get very annoyed when I enter a retail establishment and find the staff who should be serving me or attending to my needs talking amongst themselves, usually about their social activities of the night before. Yes, it tends to be the younger element, often at weekends,  who perhaps have not been taught otherwise so my plea to retailers, including hoteliers, is if you employ part-time staff give them proper training frequently and regularly and ensure that during hours of “showtime” they are dedicating all their efforts to guests and customers. Hardly rocket science.